Lorenzo Ma'afu (born 13 November 1987) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup. He primarily played second-row. Ma'afu is of Tongan descent. Ma'afu was well known for overcoming much adversity to make it into the NRL.[2]
 Ma'afu playing for the Bulldogs in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lorenzo Ma'afu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 November 1987 New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 5 January 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
editBorn in New Zealand, before moving to Australia. Ma'afu played his junior football for the East Hills Bulldogs in Australia before being signed by Canterbury.
Canterbury-Bankstown
editIn round 9 of the 2008 NRL season he made his NRL debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs against the Penrith Panthers. He made one further appearance for Canterbury which came in round 12 against Melbourne which Canterbury lost 46-0.
Ipswich Jets
editIn 2009, he joined the Ipswich Jets in the Intrust Super Cup.[3]
2012-14
editAt the start of 2012, Ma'afu was close to joining NRL club, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles but nothing eventuated as Sea Eagles recruitment manager, Noel Cleal, who wanted to sign him, went to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs before anything was finalized. Ma'afu was invited to do pre-season training with the Gold Coast Titans.[4]
In June 2012, Ma'afu was invited to come down for a week to train with the Newcastle Knights at the request of Knights coach Wayne Bennett in order to possibly gain a contract.[5]
In September 2012, Ma'afu signed a two-year contract with the Parramatta Eels.[6]
Townsville Blackhawks
editIn 2015, Ma'afu joined Townsville and played two seasons with the club.
Burleigh Bears
editIn 2017, Ma'afu joined Burleigh and made 12 appearances during the 2017 season.[7]
Later career
editIn 2021, it was reported that Ma'afu was playing for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the local Gold Coast A-Grade competition.
Controversy
editIn 2010, he was banned from the sport for 15 months after his drink was spiked with ecstasy and another recreational drug. Ma'afu's ban expired on 1 February 2011 and he returned to play for the Jets.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Lorenzo Ma'afu - Career Stats & Summary". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ Herald Sun[dead link]
- ^ Jets star Lorenzo Maafu fights suspension The Queensland Times, 18 June 2009
- ^ NRL Return likely [dead link]
- ^ Jet lands knights NRL[dead link]
- ^ "Ipswich Jets Rugby League Team". www.facebook.com.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Player Profile". www.qrl.com.au.
- ^ "Former Bulldog has doping ban reduced". The Press. AAP. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.